Ventilator for buildings having pitched roofs



July 21, 1953 A. L. SIMBLEST 2,645,992.

VENTILATQR FOR BUILDINGS HAVING PITCHED ROOFS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 23, 1951 INVENTOR MZZen Z. SzhfiZeaZ ATTORNEY July 21, 1953 Filed March 23, 151

A. L. SIMBLEST 2,645,992

VENTILATOR FOR BUILDINGS HAVING PITCHED ROOFS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR fiZZen .5. 58272615962" ATTORNEY Patented July 21, 1953 VENTILATOR FOR BUILDINGS HAVING PITCHED ROOFS Allen L. Simblest, Columbus, hio, assignor to Shawnee Industries, Inc., Columbus, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application March 23, 1951, Serial No. 217,208

Q '1 Claim. (Cl. 98*121) This invention relates to building ventilators, having particular reference to under-roof ventilators of the louver-equipped type, constructed for installation in the vertical side walls of buildings immediately beneath angularly sloping or pitched roofs.

Ventilators of this kind usually comprise rigid triangular frames in which are stationarily mounted a plurality of relatively spaced, parallel, longitudinally extending louvers forming air passages between the same. Such ventilators are adapted to be mounted in the openings formed in the end walls of buildings immediately beneath sloping roofs. The conventional rigid and nonadjustable ventilators of this type are difficult, time-consuming and laborious to install. Normally the operation requires considerable carpentry in neatly fitting the triangular outer frames of the ventilators into the wall openings adapted to receive the same. Again, the manufacturers and dealers handling such ventilators are required to make and keep in stock different sizes or forms of the ventilators in efforts to minimize the amount of carpentry necessary to their installation and enable the ventilators to conform esthetically to roofs differing widely in inclination or pitch. v

In an effort to improve this condition, it has been proposed to form such ventilators with adjustable frames, wherein the sides thereof are mounted for relatively swinging movement about a pivotal axis, thus adapting the sides to the angularity of associated roofs. In these adjustable ventilators, the spaced parallel louvers are of telescopic construction, and movably joined at their ends with the swinging sides of the frame, so that the louvers expand or contract in length with the adjusting movement of the frame sides. While this construction provides a louver-type ventilator which, through its adjustability, eliminates the need for a number of various sizes or forms in meeting the requirements offered by "the peculiarities of different buildings, as well as in simplifying installation procedure. Nevertheless, the adjustable ventilators now available are relatively complex mechanically, and, further, are more costly than non-adjustable ventilators to manufacture. Also, the same do not possess the rigidity and physical strength of the non-adjustable ventilator, cannot be readily screened, and often produce objectionable noises when subjected to-the action of the wind.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present in- V tively sharply pitched type;

vention to provide a ventilator of this type in- 2 volving in its construction the advantageou features of both the rigid and adjustable ventilators of the prior art, and wherein the objections present in such prior ventilators are eliminated or in large part alleviated.

A further object is to provide a ventilator of this character wherein the joint-concealing adapter strips are pivotally united with each other in a manner enabling said strips to conform with the angularity of associated roof surfaces, and retained by fastening meansin such positions of roof surface conformity.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an under-roof ventilator of the rigid and stationary type with pivotally movable adapter strips which are so arranged and'formed as to cover and conceal from exterior view the joints or spaces present between the triangular frame of the rigid ventilator and the openings formed in the walls of the building for the reception of the ventilator.

Another object of the invention is to provide means on such adjustable joint-masking or adapter strips for effecting the support of a rigid non-adjustable louver-type ventilator therefrom in all positions of relative adjustment of the strips.

The invention consists in the provision of ventilator construction for buildings having pitched roofs embodying a pair of pivotally united jointmasking adapter strips, the latter'being secured along their outer edges to the wall of an associated building in a, manner paralleling adjoining and sloping roof surfaces, the arrangement being such that the inner. edges of said strips overlap and conceal from exterior view the side edges of a substantially triangular ventilatorreceiving opening formed in the building wall, there being a stationary triangular ventilator arranged in said wall opening, with the outer side edges of the ventilator concealed by said strips, and wherein means are provided for joining the ventilator with the strips in all operative positions of adjustment of the latter.

For a further understanding of the invention, including additional objects and advantages thereof, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein: 1

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a pitched roof ventilator formed in accordance with the present invention, the masking strips of the ventilator being disclosed in the positions which they occupy when theassooiated roof is of a rela- Fig. 2 is a similar view disclosing the operating position of the masking strips of the ventilator when the associated roof construction is not so sharply pitched as the roof of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view disclosing the ventilator of the present invention by itself and removed from the wall and roof structure of an associated building;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken through the ventilator on the plane indicated by the line IV-IV of Fig. 3, the associated building wall being shown by broken lines;

Fig. 5 is a detail horizontal sectional View taken on the plane indicated by the line V-V of Fig. 3 and illustrating more particularly the ad-, justable connection between the lower end of each of the masking strips and the associated ventilator frame;

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the plane disclosed by the line VIVI of Fig. 3; V

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the front sideof the ventilator;

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the rear side thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral l designates a vertical building wall and the numeral 2 designates a building roof of th pitched type, such as. are commonly encountered in the construction of residential buildings, shops, barns, poultry houses or the like. In con nection with such a building, the present inven tion provides a ventilator V by which under roof ventilation of the building is obtained.

The ventilator is adapted to be positioned in a substantially triangular opening 3 formed in the wall l of the building immediately beneath the apex of the roof 2, the opening 3 being defined along its sides by th inner longitudinal edges of the downwardly inclined frieze boards l, forming a part of the wall and roof construction.

The ventilator V comprises a triangular body consisting of downwardly inclined side members 5, which preferably comprise sheet metal channels. At their lower and outer ends, these channels are rigidly and stationarily joined with the outer ends of a pair of stationary inner and outer base plates indicated at 6 and l, respectively. These p-latesare held in side by side adjoining order by rivets, welding or other fastening means indicated at 3, and, preferably, the plates include downwardly and forwardly inclined adjoining webs 9.

Along their upper and longitudinal rear edges,

the webs 9 are spaced to provide a pocket in which is received the lower edge portion of a wire screen or the like ii), the sides of the screen being fastened in a taut and secure manner to the vertical back flanges H of the side members 5. At their lower and forward portions, the webs 9 terminate in depending interengaging aprons 12, the inner apron being terminated at the bottom thereof in an upstanding flange l3 which receives and reenforces th lower portion of the ventilator, permitting the latter to be nailed or otherwise fastened, as at M, to the wall l immediately contiguous to the lower edge of the opening 3.

Also, the interior of the ventilator includes spaced, parallel, longitudinally extending nonadjustable louvers 55. These louvers at their lower and forward edges are formed with curved lips or beads l6 and at theirupper and rear edges with short upstanding flange ll. The ends of the louvers are welded or mechanically fastened in a, rigid manner to the side members 5, so that the entire body of the ventilator will present a rigid structure devoid of relatively movable parts.

Such ventilator bodies are of well known form, but difficulty has been ncountered in adapting or fitting the ame to the structural peculiarities of the pitched-roof buildings in connection with which they are used. Usually the situation requires a multiplicity of ventilator sizes or shapes and considerable carpentry work in adapting the ventilators for tight-fitting engagement with the building walls. This situation i largely avoided in the present invention by the provision of adapter or masking strips indicated at Ila. These strips comprise normally suitable lengths of flat sheet metal of appropriate width and gage, the edges of the strips being reenforced by inturned flanges indicated at it. These strips are pivotally joined at their upper ends to each other as by means of the headed rivets shown at l9, while the lower ends of said strips are, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, provided with inwardly directed bolts 2% which carry tightening nuts 25 on their threaded shanks. The shanks of these bolts are received in elongated slots 22, formed in the ends or the apron ii of the base plate members '1. Also, the adapter strips may be secured to the ventilator body through the provision of a nut equipped bolt 23 which, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6, is carried by one of the strips and is movable in an arcuat slot 24 provided in the front flange of one of the side members 5.

In the installation of the ventilator of the present invention, the masking or adapter strips are pivotally adjusted about the axis provided by the rivet it so that the outer or upper longitudinal edges of the strips will be disposed in parallelism with the pitch of the roof surfaces of the associated building, as shown mor particularly in Figs. 1 and 2. The strips may then be secured in their proper position by means of fastening nails which rigidly unite the strips with the inner edges of the frieze boards 4 adjacent to the sides of the opening 3. When so connected, the masking strips project over the outer side portions of the opening 3 and conceal and cover from exterior view the gap or space 25 formed between the outer surfaces of the ventilater and the side edges of the opening 3. The swinging movement of the masking strip in conforming to desired roof angularity is maintained by tightening the nuts 2! carried by the bolts 29, and the swinging adjustment of such strips is limited by the length of th slots 22 provided in the ends of the base member of the ventilator. Similar adjustment and securing is obtained by tightening the nut on the bolt 23.

By this construction, it will be observed that th ventilator body is supported by the masking strips. Additional support may be provided by the nails it which may be used in fastening the aprons IQ of the bottommember ventilator to the wall 5 contiguous to the lower longitudinal edge of the opening 3.

With the present invention, the opening 3 may be roughly formed and all gaps and joints concealed when the ventilator is installed by the adjustable masking strips in connection with which the ventilator body is carried. The device eliminates a considerable degree of labor in the installation of such under roof ventilators, produces a-neat, -well-appearing construction, reduces the number of devices which a dealer may ca ry in stock and provides generally a'construction which may be manufactured and sold in competition with standard. stationary t es of ventilators.

The construction is, of course, subject to certain variation or modification within the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

In ventilator apparatus: a rigid triangular frame formed with spaced stationary internally positioned louvers, said frame being receivalre in an opening formed in an associated vertical building wall, the latter having downwardly diverging roof surfaces; a :pair of vertically dis-' fasteningthe lower ends of said strips in their 20 09 6 various positions of angular adjustment to the bottom of said ventilator frame, said means including threaded devices carried by the lower en is of said strips, said. devices having shanks received within elongated slots formed in the lower portions of said frame; and binding nuts carried by the shanks of said threaded devices and operative when tightened to retain the ad- 'justed. positions of said strips relative to said frame.v

ALLEN L. SEMBLEST.

References sites in the file or this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,855,532 Thomas Apr. 26, 1932 23410570 Siecenlist Feb. 1, 1944 2,458,.l34i Belden Jan. 4, 1949 Moyer et al Feb. 26, 1952 

